When a Vision Goes Astray
by EtherealInsanity
Summary: Naruto Uzumaki decides to travel and experience the world, firsthand outside of conflict. The war is over, and all loose ends are tied, or so he thought. The people that he thought were gone for good suddenly enter his life again, however their intentions are different. They had a purpose long ago. It was their vision that went astray, the same vision that Naruto comes to embrace.


**Authors Note:** A fic that I came up with during a long shower.

No defined pairings yet, but it will get there. It's basically in the same universe except technology is a bit more common. Phones, for example.

**Naruto in the Akatsuki fic!**

A warning, there's going to be bashing in this fic. I enjoy bashing a lot when it comes to fanfiction because it adds a lot more depth to character development. However just letting you know that I don't hate any characters or anything, I just go with the flow when it comes to these fics.

Enjoy guys, review to help me out and favorite/follow it so I can see that this is doing well.

**0-0-0-0-0**

**Prologue**

He stood outside for god knows how long, letting the rain pour onto his clothing without a second thought. The rain always did wonders to him, it helped him calm down, and eased him when things got tough, it relaxed him, in every sense of the word.

The cold water was what really did the magic, every time his skin felt a freezing drop of rain, he'd feel a slight and sudden bolt of electricity, and it was an almost otherworldly feeling. The entire back of his neck was freezing at this point, along with the rest of his limbs. The wool sweater he was wearing was beyond drenched, and it clung onto his skin while adding extra weight.

Truth was, he wouldn't move even if he wanted to. The scene before him was surreal with the rain drenching everything in sight, he just couldn't find himself to look away.

The soft lighting of Konoha was a sight to behold, the skyline of the village was beautiful. In the distance he could see a soft pulsation coming from streetlights. A collection of colors were scattered throughout, brilliant hues of warmth, as well as much harder shades of fluorescent white were stationed randomly all over Konoha, to which he could conveniently view from his apartment. The skyline of Konoha was a sight to behold, it truly was beautiful.

He could see vendors, and alleyways, the Hokage Monument as well as the field that he would always train at, numerous restaurants, and lush greenery getting drenched in the rain. The atmosphere this night gave off gave everything a cold, welcoming feeling. The air was clear and crisp, the weather was chilly, and his teeth were about to chatter.

_Truly beautiful. _

Although the balcony in which he was standing on probably wasn't safe, especially with a heavy downpour that was taking place as of right now, he couldn't find it in himself to go back inside and resume his slumber. Something as miniscule as a safety hazard wouldn't stop him from gazing at the village skyline, he had grown too attached to this rundown building, and the sights that came along with it.

The reasons why he stayed in this building for so long were always evasive, for he never had a solid answer, whenever others asked why he didn't just high tail it and move somewhere else, he just gave them a confused, if not _lost_ look.

What was there to say? This concrete structure held his entire life, simply within the confines of a few walls. Every scratch, every dent, every crevice of his small, but cozy apartment, he memorized it all. He knew his apartment inside and out. It was something that gave him a sense of nostalgia, it was home.

He had been offered a brand new apartment as a reward for working so hard a few days ago, granted by the Hokage herself, however it didn't feel _justified_ leaving on a whim like that.

Not that it mattered really, he reasoned. He barely came home, with the constant errands he had to do here and there, for an almost endless number of people. He found himself sightseeing outside of his apartment only on special occasion. Home was always better if there was a type of value and longing attached with it. By spending his free nights outdoors, his home was becoming lonelier and lonelier.

He supposed that the less he came here, the better the feeling would be. And he was right.

Tonight was a night where he had chosen to sleep on his own bed, instead of the Hokage monument. However, he found himself staring into the eye of Konoha's skyline rather than fall asleep like he originally intended.

_What would the new flat be like?_

Swimming pool, free space, absurd amount of rooms, indoor training area. What else could Tsunade possibly put together? She was a woman of standards, and couldn't stand the sight of Naruto's apartment.

Even with the condition of his current apartment, the woman had really put her imagination to the challenge when designing the apartment. He felt flattered that Tsunade put that much effort in him.

Regardless of the potential that the newly developed high rise building offered, it wasn't where Naruto's heart resided. Looks and features were great bonuses, but memories were something he'd rather cling onto. Those were priceless. Tsunade would have to learn to understand that.

If that wasn't dedication, he didn't know what was. He supposed that somehow explaining this sense of loyalty and determination for a subpar apartment building was enough to satisfy anyone who asked. However, he doubted he'd be able to form the words to explain his reasoning.

Bottom line was however, that he was satisfied, content even. Moving out?

No, his apartment held way to many memories, bitter as well as joyous. They were memories, none the less. He wouldn't abandon them because of a new home any time soon.

Closing his eyes, he released a heavy sigh, and began walking back into his apartment. It was late and he needed to sleep.

**0-0-0-0-0**

Morning came by a bit to quickly for his taste. He awoke with a grunt of frustration and a slight headache, as he had accurately predicted last night. He changed into a different pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt in the middle of the night, and he was now sprawled across his bed feeling way too comfortable for his own good.

_Figures_

Having a _natural _shower like last night wasn't exactly common, so it was a real treat. How chilled the air was afterwards was incredible. The thick, warm blanket he had engulfed himself in was giving him the heat he longed for, while the cold air outside of his little blanket world was freezing, giving the room a nice contrast and added atmosphere. Just the way he liked it.

Sunny mornings were just so dull and boring for him, the cozyness he was feeling now was beautiful.

However, he never could enjoy moments like these, where his comfort was at its absolute prime.

It was always when he had something to do, or somewhere to go, that he felt an almost surreal level of warmth and comfort. Every limb protested as he slowly got up, almost immediately missing the warmth that his bundles of blankets provided.

Squinting, he took a glance at the relatively new digital clock he was gifted by one of his friends by the name of Sai. A somewhat socially awkward fellow that had good intentions but almost clueless sense of normality and belonging. Naruto couldn't deny that his gift was useful. He'd have to thank Sai later. Granted that Sai wouldn't lick his hand as a sign of friendship or something.

He analyzed the cyan tinted print.

It was the tenth of October, 7:02 in the morning.

The blonde haired mess subtly noted that it was his birthday today. A small feeling of excitement bubbled inside of him, but he knew it was wrongly allocated. To feel excited because of his birthday, it felt ridiculous to him. He should be excited for the meeting with Tsunade that he had to attend, at least that made more sense.

His birthday was nothing of importance for the last few years of his life. What with the Shinobi lifestyle and all, he didn't have time for these things. The spectrum of reactions were far too difficult to predict as well. Mixed feelings would be present all around the village. Some people may hold his birthday in high regards, even _waiting _for it all year in some cases. An overwhelming majority however was indifferent to the date, others however were hostile. The latter was significantly smaller in numbers when compared to his childhood. That was all fine and dandy, some however, went absolutely batshit crazy, in a good way, theoretically.

Was he going to be victimized to a giant, overly sweetened cake that'd fall on him and end his life right there and then, or would he get beaten by a collection of rowdy villagers that couldn't stand seeing his face? It actually got him excited, what was life without mystery? His birthday always had this effect.

_The birth of Naruto Uzumaki_, he smirked at the thought.

Whatever the case was, he couldn't deny the fact that his mood had lightened a bit, regardless of what was to come. He figured that it came with his age, he may have matured dramatically, but he was still a ripe seventeen years of being alive. Full of life, potential, energy and commitment, not to mention supressed hormones. What reason was there _not _to expect interesting things on his birthday?

Who knows how today would treat him.

He found himself getting ready in an almost autonomous fashion.

One of his favourite pairs of camouflaged combat pants, his thick black sweater, his glossed orange and matte black ceramic watch, and his pair of black combat boots.

Some of the people he knew would claw him out for having such a horrid _sense of fashion._ Whatever the hell that meant. Wearing high heels, a sheet of horrendously colored fabric over his shoulders maybe, some weirdly designed pair of pants that held too much room for his groin. What did they call them, Joggers? Hell, what _was _fashion?

He was practical, he wanted efficiency, and he strived for comfort. He liked his look right now, and thus he left his apartment.

Although he probably looked more like a soldier than he normally did, all he needed to wear now was his Konoha issued combat vest. It would have completed the look, but he decided against it.

If anyone recalled Naruto Uzumaki a few years back, they would often refer to him as the eyesore of the village. Constantly wearing that atrocious orange color, jumping all over the place, never being able to stand still for more than two minutes. It was like he was on coffee with Red Bull acting as a supplement for milk. It was a wonder how the kid didn't have a heart attack because of all his excitement on a day to day basis.

Remarkably however, he had matured, drastically at that. Although he enjoyed his dosage of orange, he toned it down considerably. His clothing style consisted more than just puffy jackets and track pants, and his attitude about practically everything and anything was different, but still Naruto like. He was still the bright and bubbly Naruto on the inside, but only when prompted. He figured that his constant barrages of "believe it" and promises were getting on the villager's nerves. His barely ethical pranks hadn't helped the situation either.

The way to the Hokage tower was uneventful. To his pleasure, nobody seemed to pay him any mind. The streets were busy, just like any other day, but he noted that not as many people were out at the market. There would always be almost hypnotic yelling that came from the market place. Bargains being shot across one end to another, cries of aggravated shop owners, it was chaos in a good way. Noises like these were pleasing to him, and that was why going through the market and taking the long way around was part of his normal route whenever he needed to see the Hokage.

It was always a giant bonus to see his favourite restaurant, Ichiraku's. A place of solitude, friends, memories and probably the most appetizing meal in the world, in his opinion. He slowed his pace when he passed the restaurant, making sure to return the huge grin and wave from none other than old man Ichiraku himself, as well as his daughter, Ayame. They aged considerably, but still looked ready to face whatever life had in store for them.

The weather was beautiful this morning, when compared to last night's storm, however Naruto found himself missing the rain almost immediately. The weather was nice, but the wind did pick up every now and then, reminding them that it was quite a chilled spring they were going to have, a rare occurrence for Konoha.

The weather was usually warm here in the village however, so to see some colder weather pleased Naruto immensely. He could honestly say that he hadn't expected it for Konoha to be this cold, but he was pleased none the less.

Hot Ramen would be even more reasonable in the cold rather than in the midst of summer, where it was hot enough to melt steel. Well, maybe that was an exaggeration, either way, Ichiraku's better be prepared for the onslaught that was to come.

He had actually come up with quite a reasonable theory a few years back, that he had single headedly funded the entire Ichiraku operation on his own in his earlier years. It was a few months after his theory was created, that he found out that in actuality, his theory wasn't all that far from the truth. The amount of money he spent there probably totalled more than his average salary of being a ninja. How he managed that, he didn't even know. He got by though, and that was all that mattered.

When he pushed past the glass doors to the Hokage Tower, he immediately went up the stairs, ignoring the foul look the secretary gave him. Everyone that worked in the building knew of Naruto's elated privileges when it came to seeing the Hokage. He didn't need to answer to anyone, since he was never the type to listen to procedure in the first place. Instead of forcing procedure into him, the secretaries and anbu just gave up on him and let him do as he pleased, as long as the Hokage was fine with it.

When he reached the topmost floor, he gave a respectful nod to Shizune, who stiffened at the gesture but returned it regardless. The black haired woman hasn't gotten used to these polite gestures coming from Naruto, being used to screaming and obnoxious running instead. She found herself missing the old days whenever Naruto came by and caused a scene, but she put the mental note aside and opened the door for Naruto.

Shizune hadn't changed much at all, she was still fairly tall, and had long, smooth legs that matched her body type perfectly. Naruto had noticed just how beautiful she was a few weeks ago, when the subject of women came up at Ichiraku's by Shikamaru. A casual conversation was all it was, however it made Naruto think about how many potential men and women were out there in Konoha. Shizune, was someone who Naruto couldn't help but find beautiful, he was surprised to find out that she wasn't seeing anyone. Her figure was flawless, and her _assets_ were soft, petite and not overstated. She was modest, and her usual kimono did justice to preserve that fact. Friendly, loyal. She was quite the woman.

He was glad that they established a brother and sister relationship mutually, and that it was hardwired into him, or else he himself would have fallen hopelessly for the woman holding the door in front of him.

"You look beautiful today Shizune"

Shizune smiled a bit, and felt a blush coming along. "This is my daily look Naruto"

"Exactly" Naruto stated, resisting the urge to laugh at Shizune's blush. "Ahh don't give me that, what's my morning routine without being flirty?"

Shizune smiled bright at that. "Suppose you're right. Hurry up, better not keep her waiting"

Naruto made his way through, and almost instantly the door behind him closed. His eyes met the sight of an impossibly young looking blonde woman, her hair neat and tied into a ponytail, her hazel eyes downcast, glaring at the paperwork on top of her infamous Hokage desk. The desk of paperwork, and her hopeless, exhausted eyes were looking at him with full force. Naruto resisted the urge to laugh at Tsunade's miserable look.

"Oi Naruto"

He bowed in response.

"Stop doing that you little shit, I'm used to you being a complete moron" Tsunade grumbled out, obviously infuriated with the task at hand. "All this damn paperwork is going to drive me insane, going to give me white hairs sooner or later" she mumbled out, examining the loose ends in her hair. "I'm not even that old" she grumbled.

"Sit down" she added.

Naruto obeyed as he confidently sat down and leaned back in his seat, with his feet propped up on the desk a few inches to the left of where Tsunade's hands were currently resting.

Anyone else caught doing this in front of the older woman, to put it bluntly, they'd be eradicated. Gone. Not a trace left.

Naruto on the other hand, well she had a soft spot for. Their relationship, much like him and Shizune, tended to have more of a family oriented approach. Instead of it being strictly Hokage and subordinate, it was mother and son.

And she did in fact love him as a son, although it was never outwardly stated. He returned the same feelings. It was the family that he never had, and didn't know he wanted.

"Why'd you call me today granny?"

Tsunade leaned back further into her seat, and took a gentle hold of Naruto's boots that were inches away from her. She always did this whenever she needed to tell him something, something that wasn't exactly best of news. Naruto caught wind of this fast, and he sat there in anticipation.

"W-well where to begin" she shakily stated. He noticed her smirk wasn't exactly genuine, and she was losing confidence fast.

His eyed widened at that._ Tsunade stuttering, not knowing how to approach a situation, well that's a first_.

"Your team. Team seven."

Naruto raised an eyebrow in confusion, prompting her to continue.

"Wait let me rephrase that" Tsunade stated as she let go of his boots and started pinching her nose. After a few seconds, her elbows were propped up against the desk, with her head resting in the palms of her hands. Her expression was strained, and she looked irritated. Her breasts were resting awkwardly on the edge of the table, and she groaned in distaste as adjusted them to feel more comfortable, Naruto chuckled but the serious demeanour came back almost instantly.

She began running circles along the sole of Naruto's boots, running her fingers along the gripped pattern.

"How would you describe your team right now?"

With that question, Naruto realized where this was going.

"Dysfunctional" he stated without a second thought. Tsunade grimly nodded her head at that.

It was the truth. Ever since Sasuke had come back thanks to Naruto's ridiculous dedication, and with his unreasonable promise of bringing the broody kid back to Sakura by whatever means neccessary, Sasuke returned to the village, much to everyone's pleasure. The female population in particular. However, he was charged with an onslaught of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and an execution order from all upper level Anbu, quite literally the fastest unanimous decision to ever be recorded in the books.

In fact it was the only decision every made by Anbu that was done, the decision being made literally three hours after Sasuke stepped into the village.

However, thanks to the politically sensitive situation with Konoha and corrupted backbone from the council, all the charges were dropped, and Sasuke was allowed to return to team seven.

It baffled Naruto, Tsunade and anyone that had a half decent brain how civilian genocide, rape and murder could get past the so called council of Konoha, a _prestigious village_ that was held in such high regards.

As the situation was laid out to him back then, Naruto had quickly realized that team seven would have to be reformed now that the third member was back in action. However, even with that being established, and team seven becoming active once more, Sasuke and Naruto never spoke unless it was strictly required. It was as if they went back in time to the day they first met. It was tension laced.

It was almost funny, how the blonde had Sasuke on his mind every single day of the week when he went AWOL, only for him to completely ignore the Uchiha when he was finally brought back. Not that he had much of a choice however, Sasuke was his usual self and was heavily introverted.

All that emotional best friend talk in the midst of their battles and tears that they shed together was merely 'in the moment' circumstances, the blonde concluded. They got caught up with their feelings and the battle at hand, he figured that Sasuke never truly cared about him. He was content with that truth.

Naruto couldn't help but notice that the brooding teen's ego had dramatically increased as well. A triumphant smirk would be on his face whenever the situation was in his favor, which was practically all the time.

The third member of the team, Sakura Haruno, well that was where things got ridiculous, that was putting it lightly. Sakura had returned to her infatuation with Sasuke, a force harder than any Tsunade had witnessed.

Completely disregarding her 'confession' about her feelings for Naruto back when they had gone to the Kage Summit, she became a complete fangirl over Sasuke once more, completely putting Naruto out of the equation. Tsunade to this day can't understand where her pink haired disciple was going with this new development, but she left it as is.

To put it blatantly, right when Naruto thought things were looking up, everything was shot down almost instantly.

It was as if she completely forgot all of her mentor's teachings and went back to being nine years old. Sasuke in response had semi-accepted her and they were often seen conversing or seen together. That alone was enough to make Naruto feel a peculiar way. Tsunade never had the opportunity to ask him about it, but she knew more than anyone else how Naruto functioned. Time would heal any wounds he may have acquired throughout this entire ordeal.

However, that brought up an important question.

Tsunade never asked What Naruto's input on this was. She didn't even know if he still had feelings for Sakura. This had been going on for months. The team's track records were perfect, one of the brightest in the entire village, and yet communication was practically non-existent. It went against every fundamental concept of being a Shinobi, yet they managed to execute their unorthodox methods perfectly.

The most Naruto communicated with his teammates, was when he was put on lead (much to Sakura's distaste). Sasuke would sit there indifferent, but Tsunade could tell that he felt the same way as Sakura whenever his potential time to shine was ripped away from him. They were smart however, and followed Naruto's orders.

In fact, the more Tsunade thought about it, the more it began to click.

All of team seven's reports were perfect, but it would always be _exceptional _when Naruto was in charge. That was when objectives were completed and then some. It was when Naruto took on the extra mile, and did more than what was asked of him, usually leading to a higher payout for them as a result, a _much _higher payout.

It was almost funny, how foreign villages had more respect for Naruto than Konoha. Especially his own team.

Every other village, whether it be a superpower or a ragtag group of misfits that had witnessed team seven on their soil, they all looked up to Konoha, _simply because _of Naruto Uzumaki.

That was all about to change though. This was to be a single handed decision that would surely cause a Shitstorm on her part. The council had advised her not to do anything brash, however she had enough of seeing her son-like figure in such a predicament.

The council had too much power back when Konoha was founded, and they had a lot of nerve to ask Tsunade for even more diplomatic power and immunity. She was not going to be a mere figurehead for Konoha, and she'd be damned if she'd let anyone touch Naruto, especially the council.

_Eventually the village will become a living, breathing mess of corrupt politicians and half assed ideals. Naruto will have to take all of this on, since he's one of the only few that would actually spit on the graves of these old fools. _She thought solemnly as she glared at Naruto.

Sure, it was great that Naruto matured. Some may think that he was actually happy, but Tsunade knew how much acting and perfection had to go under that smile of his. If anything, the new sense of maturity and politeness Naruto had developed was due to the wrong reasons, with the reason being Team seven.

It was time to get things done.

"You're being reassigned"

Naruto ears perked up at that, a habit that made him resemble a fox a bit too much. Tsunade had found it adorable, but the matters at hand were far from playful.

"Where will I be going?" Naruto asked, in a questionable tone. It sounded fast, eager almost. Tsunade sighed mentally, she was expecting this. This gave her even more justification to go through with what she was planning.

"Traditionally, units are made up of two to three members. In Anbu, four to six. Battalions are a different matter altogether."

He nodded at that.

"You on the other hand, are going to be solo for a while."

Well wasn't this interesting?

"What?" was the intelligent question that slipped out of his mouth. What else could he have said? "As in like, going in lone wolf or something, or what?" Despite trying to sound professional, the term "lone wolf" sounded too childish for him. It was a term that he used every time he played ninja before he was a chunnin, before the concept of teamwork was embedded into him. It sounded amazing, and it felt like how a hero would do things. Alone. However, growing up made him realize the error of his ways. A team was something to be grateful for.

Team seven however, his team, well that was a different case altogether.

"No, I mean as in decommissioned, until we find you another team"

Much to Tsunade's surprise, the seventeen year old in front of her nodded and straightened his posture to stretch out his back. She found herself blinking once, and then twice, three times. Where was the outburst?

As if reading her thoughts, Naruto explained. "I felt like I needed a break, a while back. I was honestly torn between doing what I did best, and trying something new, or at least taking a break."

Tsunade nodded.

"Then why didn't you?"

She received a shrug as a response.

"Well it doesn't matter. Just lay off running through, on, or at something or someone for a short amount of time, until I find you a team. Take it easy a bit and rest up, you've been doing high priority assignments with virtually no time for rest and now I'm starting to feel guilty after hearing that little confession of yours."

Naruto smiled at his mother figure. "Don't be, it was my choice."

Tsunade frowned at that. "It's sounding like you're quitting for good" She stated half-heartedly.

"Who knows?"

There was silence after that statement. Silence that was laced with confusion, and panic, entirely from Tsunade. Naruto remained collected, and if anything, he had a shit-eating grin plastered onto his face. A grin that resembled the old Naruto far too much for Tsunade's comfort. She felt a familiar pang of guilt in her chest, but she brushed it aside. The feeling of guilt was now replaced with shock.

"Naruto I'm just putting you on a break, I'm not stopping you from achieving your dream."

The boy in question gave raised an eyebrow. "Dream? What do you mean granny?"

"Well hell Naruto, you need to be a ninja to be Hokage. That's common sense, something I'd assume you'd have known by now."

She received a hearty chuckle in response. "Oh that? Yeah, I kinda just left it as is when I was younger. The way you do paperwork seemed like a complete waste of time to me. I figured I just wanted the respect that came along with it, and the idea of supporting the village."

Tsunade widened her eyes. Her grip on her pen faltered almost immediately.

"I want to do all that, don't get me wrong, but I just don't want to be the _main_ pillar that causes envy and jealousy. After all, Sasuke wants to be Hokage, and god knows what'll happen if I actually get in the way."

"NARUTO, YOU WERE THE ONE THAT STARTED BUGGING THE ENTIRE VILLAGE ABOUT THE WHOLE HOKAGE TREND, _WHAT_ DO YOU MEAN"

Naruto flinched, ruining his own train of thought. He hadn't seen Tsunade this worked up about him in a while. She was now standing on both feet, her fists planted firmly onto the reinforced desk. Her eyebrows were curved, and her face held a strong scowl.

"Hey, I'm not saying I'm not going to be Hokage, but I'm not going to force it on myself. I got other plans, I guess"

"And what may those plans be?"

He stood there for a moment. A soft smile grazing his lips as he looked up at Tsunade confidently.

"Purpose"

"…Purpose?"

"My purpose, where I belong. The dream of being Hokage seemed forced, what with constant assault from the villagers, constant neglect, the Ramen probably had something to do with it to. I don't know Tsuande, long story short, I rushed in, and now it just doesn't feel right."

Tsunade slowly sat back down, she knew what he was talking about entirely. Ironically, she was taking it harder than Naruto was. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat, but to no avail. _But when?_

The same had happened to her before, when she wanted to be part of Anbu when she was younger, before her journey throughout the lands. Realization had taken place however, and she decided that travelling was what made her happy. It did, for the most part. How she ended up Hokage, she'd never know.

Oh wait, it was because of the brat right in front of her.

The brat that surprisingly made amends with his inner self and had shown no signs of withdrawal, unlike her when she was a teen. When she realized the life of an Anbu operative wasn't what she wanted, she was devastated. It took her months to fully recuperate, after all it wasn't every day that you suddenly realized that everything you've been doing for more than ten years was a complete waste of time. All that training, all that self-inflicted motivation, believing that you had your life set out, to just change everything within a blink of an eye. She was devastated, to put it lightly.

It was a mid-life crisis when she was a mere teenager, basically.

And here was Naruto, the knucklehead that screamed that he was going to be Hokage on a daily basis when he was younger, and made sure to mention it in every possible situation, no matter the context. The one who lived the majority of his life wanting to be Hokage, because he thought it was his purpose in life.

The one who very easily moved on and was now trying to find a new sense of purpose unlike Tsunade who had gone under a deep depressive state, refusing to talk to anyone for months on end.

This kid was something else.

"So you sure you don't want to be Hokage?"

He nodded. "I'm not going to deny it if it was presented to me, but I'm not going to fight for it either. Just go with the flow and take a break from it all." Naruto straightened his posture so that both of his feet were off her desk.

"By the way, I was wondering if I could skip town for a while. You know, stay low outside of Konoha, and get some fresh air."

Tsunade looked at him curiously.

"Don't worry, I'm coming back" he reassured.

Tsunade only scoffed at that. "As if you'd last a month without my guidance to begin with, brat"

He gave a shit eating grin at that.

"Well, Naruto, I don't know what to say. Whatever makes you happy, although I'm not going to lie. I'm disappointed that the Uchiha is probably going to end up being Hokage unless someone else steps in. I practically left the seat warm for you with that ever so flattering ass of mine."

Naruto laughed.

"Either way, as for your second request, I'll approve of it. You're just lucky that I have more backbone now that the Akatsuki is gone. No more Madara, no more Kabuto. The council would normally go knee deep as to why you shouldn't be allowed outside the village. They'd have made one hundred and one reasons why you shouldn't go if I told them to come up with fifty. Now that I can't possibly see a reason why you'd be in danger, I grant you permission."

With that, Tsunade almost instantly scribbled down the necessary information on a card she pulled out from her desk, and handed it to Naruto when she finished.

He glanced down at it.

After analysing it, he realized that it was almost like a visa, it allowed him to freely leave Konoha without the risk of being considered a rogue ninja. It also granted him access to most of the lands he could think of, thanks to him being from the leaf, a superpower that controlled trade. He noticed that he had a thirty day timeframe, plenty of time to unwind and really settle down and think about where he was headed in life.

"Leave whenever you're ready, and make sure to write to me twice a week. So that's at least eight letters, feel free to write more. Give that card to the gate guards and they'll notify me, so that I could actually authenticate it when you leave. I expect to see you back here in no more than thirty days. "

Naruto nodded and headed towards the door.

"You disrespectful shit, where's my hug? It's your birthday after all. "

Oh yeah, it was, wasn't it?

Naruto grinned.

**0-0-0-0-0**

_I should probably pack my bags and leave tomorrow_

Even when with his repetitive train of thought, his mind automatically pushed it aside. There were more important things to attend to as of right now, like lying down and watching the clouds.

He seriously needed to thank Shikamaru for showing him this. It was a great way to just relax. He felt at peace, as his muscles loosened. His eyes were threatening to spill over, but it was probably in his best interest not to fall asleep in the middle of the park, no that would be disastrous.

His peace was instantly broken when a familiar voice hit his ears.

_Fan. Fucking. Tastic._

He turned his head slightly to see a group of females walking towards his direction, not at him particularly, but towards the pathway he was lying down next to. At second glance, he immediately identified them.

Brunette Buns, Kimono. Surprisingly lean, firm body. Tenten.

Blonde hair, long ponytail, stomach showing, womanly figure. Ino Yamanaka.

Pink hair, Pink kimono, and Pink headband? Oh, she also happens to have a pink phone in her hands. Sakura Haruno.

He grit his teeth at one with extravagantly natural hair. Sakura, a member of his technically former team was now looking directly at him. Within a few moments, Sakura and her little group of females were making their way to Naruto, who was still lying down on the floor, staring back.

The grass was tickling his lower back, and he was fidgeting a bit to get back to his comfortable pose, as he sighed heavily.

Contrary to popular belief, Naruto actually abandoned his crush for Sakura a long time ago, during the invasion of Pein. He was no pushover, and he had self-respect. He wasn't going to continue crushing on someone who did absolutely nothing to save him during that intense battle. If anything, she just kept gawking at him, as if _he _was the one to blame for all the destruction. It was just a theory, but he severely hoped that he was wrong. He didn't want the pink haired banshee to be _that _insane.

"Hello Naruto"

That was a much more pleasant voice than he actually anticipated. Confused, he looked up to see Tenten being the owner of the soft greeting, to which he smiled back, acknowledging her presence.

He grew a deep respect for Tenten when he realized that she was a great person to be around, and a highly skilled partner at that. Although they weren't friends per say, they still knew each other on a first name basis, with a level of genuine comfort they were both happy with.

"What are you doing out here?" the weapons expert asked politely. Naruto couldn't help but shine a bright smile at Tenten, to which she couldn't help but return.

"Watching the clouds" Naruto mumbled in a mock surfer voice, as he mimicked a wave with his free hand.

Tenten laughed, and Ino chuckled.

"Glad to see Shikamaru rubbing off on you" Ino responded playfully, to which Naruto smiled back.

He was also on good speaking terms with Ino as well, he was grateful for that. Being on Ino's good side was a great feeling, especially when he knew the blonde girl respected him a bit. It proved useful when going on missions with her, voluntarily. Predictably, she was annoyed at first, but she soon found out her previous ill feelings for Naruto were completely unreasonable when Naruto was nothing but a loyal team mate to the end, and not nearly as annoying as some people portray him, particularly how Sakura depicted him.

Naruto was certain that their mission together that day was what started Ino to grow a fondness when it came to their relationship. It was miniscule, only a few waves and pleasantries being exchanged, but she wasn't glaring daggers, or spitting at him. Good signs of progression.

"Yeah but not on his smarts though". There. That was the voice that made him shudder mentally. The voice he was _waiting _for. _Man_ what did he see in her all those years ago? Sakura's voice was easily distinguishable, not because she had a bad voice, quite the contrary actually, but it was due to the fact that it always held some form of hostility, whether it be playful or genuine, it unnerved him to no end.

She was quite literally a ticking time bomb ready to explode, the fact that she had the strength of a thousand men didn't help matters at all. On the field, she was a valuable asset, when it came to anything outside their assignments however, she was basically a complete nuisance to Naruto.

Her voice right now was confusing. It was either a joke, or she wanted to rile him up.

Naruto was willing to bet the latter in this case.

He lazily turned to his right side to face the three, and stretched in a fox like fashion, yawning while doing so. Causing a laugh from Ino and a grin from Tenten.

He then smacked a hand on the floor next to him, signalling the two to sit down.

When the both of them sat down, Naruto glanced over at Sakura who was still standing. Her posture was askew, as she put more weight onto her left foot, while she placed a hand on her hips. Her face was scrunched up thanks to the sun, and he couldn't help but shudder at the expression she had on.

Reluctantly, she sat down too, much to Naruto's dismay. A part of him however, was thrilled at this. Secretly, he enjoyed Sakura's company because it was _devilishly _good to make her agitated. Naruto had very little respect of Sakura as a person, but had a considerable amount of it when in terms of a Shinobi. She was skilled, dangerous and followed orders. Her character outside of assignments needed work though.

Tenten sat down next to him, and lifted his head to rest on her lap, much to Naruto's surprise, however he mumbled a thanks but not without a blush that was detected by the girls almost immediately. Ino and Tenten laughed at the gesture, while Sakura began ripping a few loose strands of grass from the ground.

_Her lap is comfortable_

The brunette began running her fingers along Naruto's messy hair, to which he began mewing appreciatively, much to Tenten's pleasure.

"You know, some of these days I think you're turning into a cat" Ino playfully stated as she lied down as well. Her stomach was to the grass as she crossed her arms to place her head on.

"Wouldn't mind that to be honest with you" Tenten added as she continued massaging Naruto's scalp.

After a few moments of peaceful silence, Naruto spoke up.

"So what are you guys doing here exactly? Don't you think it's a bit early to go around for a walk?" Naruto mumbled out.

"Ever heard of morning walks Naruto?" Ino mumbled out sarcastically. Naruto nodded his head slightly in response.

"I've heard of them but why anyone would actually wake up in the morning just to walk is something I don't understand."

Ino laughed.

"I wouldn't expect you to be a morning person regardless Naruto" Tenten added in. Naruto agreed with a nod. "What about you, why did you decide to go cloud watching this early, Shikamaru doesn't even do that" she added.

Naruto laughed at that. "Tsunade called me down to talk to me about stuff"

The girls perked up at this and looked at Naruto curiously, Sakura included.

Ever since the end of basically all the problems they had to endure for years, missions were practically non-existent. The Shinobi council made sure that foreign operations that involved affairs not directly related to the village was deemed as a side priority, since their village was perfectly self-sufficient. A few years ago this would have been an act of madness, considering that their economy was based off of other villages and their problems. Now however, thanks to the massive development the village was going through, their prosperity wasn't based on another's despair. It was a pleasant step up.

"You got a mission? Luckkyyyy" Ino growled out as she sunk her head into her arms.

"Well not exactly" Naruto managed to laugh out.

"Oh? Then what was your little rendezvous with Tsunade all about?" Tenten pondered.

Naruto looked around to see that the attention of all three girls were at him, and that there was practically no chance of him escape their questions.

"I swear to god Naruto, if Jiraya's books have been rubbing off on you" Ino growled out. This caused Tenten to look at her in confusion.

"What do you mean by that?

Ino smirked. "Jiraya's favourite fantasies involved sensei's and students. So by default-"

"NO, NO and NO" Naruto managed to yell out. He had a hard blush on his face as he flailed on the ground. "That's terrible Ino. How would you even know Jiraya works on that?"

Ino smiled. "Hey, I'm not saying I read Jiraya's work, and I'm not saying I don't."

Naruto chuckled at that, but then glanced at the clouds.

"I'm leaving the village for a bit" He said sheepishly.

Almost immediately, he noticed that Tenten had stopped running her fingers through his hair. Slowly he looked up at the confused faces belong to the three girls.

"Think of it like a vacation" he added in. Realization slowly sunk in as they nodded appreciatively, Tenten and Ino specifically. "I'm going to explore, travel, and really get to know the outside world for once, you know, outside of the whole conflict spectrum"

"How long will you be gone?" Ino asked as she rolled over to her back, now looking at Naruto.

"A month"

"Jeeze Naruto, that's a long vacation"

Naruto nodded.

"What about team seven?" Sakura demanded. Naruto, as well as her two other friends looked at her in surprise. They weren't exactly expecting her to speak up all of a sudden, especially with such an authoritative tone.

Naruto scowled at that, but tried his best to hide it. He supposed he'd have to answer her, since it'd be rude If he didn't. Manners sucked.

A part of him sprung into life Sakura's prompt however. He knew it was terrible to say, but he had actually looked forward to telling Sakura and Sasuke of the news. It'd be interesting, their reactions, was what Naruto wanted to experience firsthand. Right now however, he had two other individuals that he wasn't exactly expecting in the vicinity, with one giving him an amazing shoulder massage. Tenten and Ino.

Naruto didn't know them incredibly well, so the news wouldn't affect them negatively, he figured.

It was now or never.

"Actually, Sakura. I'm leaving team seven. For like, good." Naruto stated.

Tenten gasped, and Ino sat cross legged almost too quickly for Naruto to register. Sakura on the other hand, just stared at him with a blank look. He was perspective, noticing how her fingers were sunk deep into the dirt. She was clawing the roots.

"Oh? Who gave you the authority to do _that_?"

There was so much venom in her voice that Orochimaru would have shuddered.

Yikes, this wasn't what he was expecting. A shocked and confused Sakura would have sufficed, she was actually beginning to scare him now.

But something inside him stirred. _What does she mean by that? I have the authority to make my life decisions. _

"Tsunade, but more importantly myself. I've been debating whether or not to do it for a while, but I guess I made my decision this morning, while you wonderful ladies were doing your morning walk."

Tenten smirked slightly, but shock was still written all over her face. Ino wasn't that far off either. Nobody in their right minds would have suspected Naruto willingly leave team seven.

Sakura stood up at that, glaring at Naruto.

"What happened to you?"

Naruto looked at her in question. What was she rambling about now?

"You changed, you used to care about both Sasuke and I since we were kids, and now you're acting like a complete prick."

He immediately narrowed his eyes at her. She had some nerve.

"It's whatever though, I'm happy you're leaving. Team seven can finally get something done with you gone."

Naruto furrowed his eyebrows at that.

"Sakura." Tenten stated sternly.

However, much to both Tenten and Ino's surprise, Naruto waved them off politely.

He wanted to hear what she had to say.

"You were always hindering Sasuke's performance when we were younger. How we called you a fellow Shinobi when we were kids were beyond me. You're just running away from Sasuke because you know how much of a better man he is than you. It's obvious-"

"…Sakura" Ino gritted out.

"No let me finish. It was because of him that team seven suffered. He's running away from his problems. He's a _coward._ He's scared of Sasuke. He was a just a deadweight to our team, and I will proudly state that I for one can find better uses of him _dead_ rather than alive. So thank you Naruto, for finally not wasting our time, so we can be an _actual _team." She spat out.

Naruto looked at her with wide eyes, as did her two friends.

Naruto stood up immediately, causing Tenten to almost fall over. She caught herself though and looked at Naruto in question.

"Ladies, it's been fun, but I have to go." Naruto managed out before walking towards his apartment.

Ino was about to chase after him until she was stopped by Tenten, who shared the same look of concern.

They turned to see Sakura smirking triumphantly at his reaction.

**0-0-0-0-0**

Naruto threw his wardrobe to the floor, gritting his teeth.

The drawer had gotten stuck again and the hinges seemed like it had seen its final days this time. In response, he had decided to lift, and shatter the heavy object, making his clothes fling out.

Quickly, he began sorting out what he wanted to bring on his trip. The use of seals made usage of bags almost completely unnecessary, so he didn't have to worry about a limit as to how many articles of clothing he could bring.

There were shattered fragments of wood and metal all over his floor, and he made sure to carefully avoid possible cuts and splinters as he maneuvered his way around the mess.

_What a bitch_

He threw a lose accent of stainless steel at the mirror beside him, causing it to shatter and break.

He normally never had temper tantrums like this, but Sakura had really hit some soft spots back there. He wasn't about to allocate his anger into something tedious like a painting or song writing. He didn't even want to train, knowing full well that he might overwork himself because of this.

He settled for breaking things in his apartment.

_Sasuke stronger than him_.

He scoffed at that.

Perfected Sage Mode, Kyuubi on actual _speaking terms_ inside of him, Toad Summons, an arsenal of lethal and forbidden jutsu at his disposal, and the nerve of her to say that he was _weaker _than her _precious _Sasuke, who was still feeding off of his electricity and Sharingan. Half of his moves being blatantly copied.

_After years of being together_

_After working together for so long_

_It's like you still hate me, since the day we first met. _

_Where's the respect I deserve? I saved your life more than I can count, and yet here I am, breaking my home because of you. Not because of love, but because of you not treating me like a fucking human being. _

He sat down in the middle of his destructed wardrobe and grabbed a fistful of hair. Today wasn't going as well as he hoped.

He was thankful for today's events however, he wouldn't have found out what Sakura's true feelings about him were unless he had decided to cloud watch that morning. It was definitely worth the anger he was facing right now.

Sakura was said to be the most understanding person in Konoha, by almost everyone in the village. If _that_ was how understanding she was, compared to the rest of the village, it was reasonable to conclude that he wanted to get out of here, fast.

He didn't want to face anyone right now, and his original plans of leaving tomorrow morning was cancelled almost immediately.

After a few minutes, he found himself walking down the familiar tarmac path towards the borders of the village. He hadn't bothered changing his clothes however, and as a result from his outrage a few minutes ago, he was beginning to sweat lightly.

The cold air had only amplified, and it felt more of a very faint winter instead of anything else. Hopefully he wouldn't catch a cold, or in extreme cases, hypothermia.

The border had come almost too quickly for his taste, as he was now standing in front of a small office.

Izumo and Kotetsu were looking at him in question when he handed them his pass.

"Going somewhere Naruto?"

Naruto only grunted in response.

After swiping the card and listening to a handful of keystrokes, Izumo handed Naruto back his pass and opened the gates for him.

"Have a safe journey, and come back in one piece eh Uzumaki." Izumo stated.

"Yeah, and Happy Birthday by the way you shit. The nerve, not telling us and expecting to leave the village and shit!" Kotetsu grinned out as he vaulted over the desk and bear hugged Naruto.

Naruto smiled at the embrace, which calmed his nerves slightly. He was grateful that these two were alive and well, they always managed to get a smile from him.

After escaping their grasp, he began his journey outside the village, waving to the two guards while doing so until he was a good distance away from the gate.

**0-0-0-0-0**

It must have been a few hours into his walking, that Naruto noticed something was off.

A virtually limitless number of trees were to the right of him, a river with sparkling, clear water was on his left. It was a path that he didn't normally take, and was actually the opposite of where he would usually go if he was on a mission. He must have been walking somewhere behind the village by now, the only village that he could possibly go to by continuing through this path would be Amegakure, the infamous rain village that recently became allies with Konohagakure. Since the village was and still is closed off to foreigners, the path has never been used as much. Amegakure was still miles upon miles away, probably a good week's worth of traveling to be more precise.

He stopped dead in his tracks and tried to sense anything out of place. A feeling of dread was lodged deep inside of his stomach, and he couldn't pinpoint why he was feeling like this.

His surroundings seemed clear enough, besides the occasional bird or small animal scurrying past him. Everything felt natural.

He was about to continue his walk again until an otherworldly feeling struck his core, and almost instantly all the hairs on his body stood up slightly. His stomach suddenly felt as if it was reacting to a large magnet. He felt the urge to vomit almost immediately and doubled over at the odd sensation. His body was becoming weak as he found it difficult to clench his fists.

Coughing, he looked around to see nothing out of the ordinary. The rabbit that was hopping past him lifted its head up in worry, and slowly began hopping over to Naruto who couldn't help but smile at the innocent gesture.

Almost immediately however, the rabbit looked startled and ran off, much to Naruto's confusion.

He slowly looked to his left, and that was when he saw them. Two people standing on the water, despite the rough current the river was giving off.

His vision was blurring now, but he could distinctly identify something that unnerved him greatly.

The familiar red clouds that he dreaded so much could be seen even from here.

As his eyes closed, he tipped himself to the side in hopes of dealing with the magnetic sensation at his core a bit better before blacking out. Not before he heard a voice however.

"_It's been a while, Naruto."_


End file.
